Spinning top



May 6, 1952 N 'w. J. WASSENAAR 2,595,823

SPINNING TOP Filed April 26, 1950 Inventar Z/ iamJ/l/Lssenczar A Harney Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPINNING TOP William J Wassenaar, Coopersville, Mich. Application 'April 26, 1950, Serial No. 158,221

3 Claims. 14

This invention relates to a novel construction of'spinning top which is capable of being very easily operated to revolvethe top at a high speed and which includes a journal and support in which the top is supported whilefa torque is imparted thereto and from which Vthe revolving top is thereafter discharged to spin on any suitable supporting-surface.-

Another and particularly important object of the present invention is to providea novel construction of top and top spinning means which may be-very quickly and easily assembled in a position-for imparting torque to the top by a manually actuated ilexible member or cord and wherein lthe flexible memberor cord additionally functions to retain the top in its supportingbearingorvjournal until the required torque has been transmitted-thereto by fthe flexible member.

Stillancther` object ofithe invention is to provide aspinning-topandtop holder of extremely simple construction which maybe very economically manufactured andisold yet which will be extremely emcient andldurable for its intended purpose.

Variousother 'objects and advantagesof the inventionV will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferredembodiment thereof, and wherein;

Figurelis a top plan. View, partly broken away, showing.` the parts as they. willbe disposed and supported to impart rotationigov thetop;

Figure 2 is an enlargedside elevational view, partly in section of 3 the same;

Figure 3 is'an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view takensubstantially along. a plane as indicated by theline 3 3 of Figure2;

Figure 4' is an enlarged cross-sectional View takensubstantially `along aplane eis-indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view takenk substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring more specifically to the-drawing. the novelsplnning top, designatedgenerally 6 and comprising the invention, includes a top holder, designated generally l, a top, designated generally 8, and a flexible actuating member or cord, designated'il.

The top holder or support V"I lis formed from an elongated bar of any suitable'material such as wood preferably of a-thckness substantially equal to itswidth, as indicated in Figure 4, one end of which forms a handle IU and the other end of which constitutes the top supporting head and 2 journal II.V The topsupportinglheadandjoure nal' li is provided with a longitudinally extending recess or notch I2 which opensoutwardly of the outer end of the head l I and whichrext'ends through the head from top tok bottomthereof," as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4. The recessv or notch l2' is provided intermediate of the topi and bottom surfaces of the head I I with an'enlarg-ed" portion i3 which is longer and wider than the top and bottom portions of said-'recess I 2, as seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The'corresponding sides oi the top holder 'l are provided intermediateof` the top and bottom surfaces thereof with corresponding longitudinally extending grooves or channels it which-extend from the terminalof the. handle lil to the enlarged recessed'portion i3; said grooves It having corresponding end preferably formed integral with the top body I6 projects from the top thereof and terminates-at its outer upper end in an'enlargement or knob 2i?. The stern I9 is'disposed axially of the top 8 and is sized to fit for rotation in the recess or notch i2 and is provided vintermediate of itsends with an integral enlargement forming af pulley 2! having an annular groove 22 which tapers` in width toward its bed. 2i are each of a diameter greater than the fwidth of the recess'or notch I2 and-theV pulley 2| is sized toV lit loosely in thelenlargedrecessedfportion i3.

To impart rotation to the.` top 8- for spinning it. the handlel is graspedbyi the operator. vifa right-handed person, ordinarily." with' the? left hand as illustratedat Agindotted lines in` Fig.- ure 1 and held so thatthe top holder isfin silbstantially' a horizontal plane as illustrated" in Figure 2. The stem IE) isthen inserted into the notch I2 so that its pulley 2| will bedisposedin the enlarged recess portion I3, thevknob 20 .above the upper surface' of theltop holder 'I and theitop body I6 beneath' the bottom' surfacev of the top holder "I, as best'illustrated in Figures Zande; A- longer end of the flexible member or cord 9 is then positioned in the groove I4 at the side of the top The knob 2G and the pulley holder 'I which faces away from the operators other or right hand, partially seen at B in Figure 1. The other end of the cord is then grasped with the right hand and is passed transversely through the notch I2 so that the cord or flexible member 9 extends from the groove I4 in which it is engaged through the enlarged groove portion I5 which forms a continuation of said groove I4 into the enlarged recessed portion I3, around the outer portion of the pulley groove 22 and thence outwardly of the head I I through the other groove portion I5. The last mentioned, shorter end of the flexible actuating member or cord 9 is gripped with the right hand B and held so that the cord extends preferably diagonally away from the head I I and toward the handle end I0. While the rst mentioned end of the cord 9 is held lightly gripped in the groove I4 by the thumb or palm of the hand A which grips the handle I0 for supporting the parts, a quick sharp pull is exerted on the other end of the cord 9 by the other, right hand B in a direction diagonally away from the head I I to draw the iirst mentioned end of the cord longitudinally through the groove I4 toward the head II so that the cord will be drawn in this direction relatively to the groove I4 and transversely across the notch I2. The tapered bed portion of the pulley groove 22 is sized to frictionally grip the actuating cord 9 so that as said cord is thus moved transversely through the head I I it will impart torque or rotation to the top 8. The quicker and more forceful the pull which is exerted on the cord 9 with the right hand B, the greater will be the speed of rotation imparted to the top 8. Likewise, the cord 9 will function to retain the stem I9 in engagement with the notch I2 while torque is being imparted thereto and as previously stated, said stem is sized to rotate freely in the notch I2 while the pulley 2I is sized for free rotation in the enlarged recessed portion I3. .After the cord 9 has been entirely withdrawn from the head II and the pulley 2I by the pull exerted thereon by the right hand B, the top 8 will be revolving at a high rate of speed, supported by engagement of the stem I9 in the head II. By then tilting the head I I downwardly slightly, the stem I9 will slide out of engagement with the notch I2 allowing the top 8 to drop on any surface disposed therebelow, not shown, on which the top 8 will revolve on its spinning point I8 in a conventional manner until its speed of rotation diminishes to an extent that it will be no longer maintained in an upright position.

It will likewise be readily apparent that the handle I'Il may be grasped with the right hand and the first mentioned. longer end of the cord 9 then positioned in the other groove I4 and the other end of the cord 9 may then extend outwardly from the opposite side of the head I I and be grasped with the left hand and while the rst mentioned end of the cord and the handle is held with the right hand, so that the spinning top 6 may be operated either by right or lefthanded persons with equal ease.

Obviously, if desired, the end of the cord 9 on which the pull is exerted may extend at a rightangle to the longitudinal axis of the top holder 1 but by having it extend diagonally therefrom, as illustrated in Figures l and 3, a greater portion of the groove 22 is engaged by said cord to minimize any tendency of slippage. It will be readily apparent that the parts may be very 4 quickly assembled in a position for imparting rotation to the top 8, as illustrated in Figure 1 and which can be much more quickly and easily accomplished than if it were necessary to wind the cord about the stem I9.

Various modications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to. without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter dened by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1

1. In combination with a top and an elongated flexible member for imparting rotation thereto, a-stem xed to and rising from the upper end of the top, said stem being disposed substantially axially of the top and having an enlarged intermediate portion provided with an annular groove forming a pulley, a top holder comprising an elongated relatively thick bar having one end forming a handle and having an opposite end providing a head, said head having a longitudinally extending notch opening outwardly of its terminal and outwardly of the top and bottom surfaces of the head in which the stem is detachably disposed and journalled, said notch having an enlarged portion intermediate of its upper and lower ends in which said pulley is loosely disposed, and said head being provided with aligned corresponding grooves in opposite sides thereof having portions opening into the enlarged recessed intermediate portion of the notch to receive said flexible member, a portion of said iiexible member extending transversely across the head through the grooves and enlarged portion of the notch and being trained around the outer part of and engaging in the pulley groove for imparting torque to the stem and top when the iiexible member is drawn transversely through the head, said pulley groove being oi a width to provide a close fitting engagement with the portion of the ilexible member engaging therein.

2. A structure as in claim 1, said holder having a side wall provided with a longitudinally extending groove having one end opening into one of the grooves of said head and through which said iiexible member slides and is guided in its movement into the head and through the recess thereof.

3. A structuie as in claim l, said holder having a side wall provided with a longitudinally extending groove having one end opening into one of the grooves of said head and through which said iiexible member slides and is guided in its movement into the head and through the recess thereof, said last mentioned groove being of a depth slightly less than the diameter of the iiexible member whereby a portion of the hand gripping the handle to support the top holder will engage and frictionally resist movement of the flexible member through said last mentioned groove toward the head.

WILLIAM J. WASSENAAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

